Covered railway hopper car

ABSTRACT

A RAILROAD HOPPER CAR COMPRISING INTEGRAL ROOF AND SIDE STRUCTURES OF EXTRUDED ALUMINUM WELDED TO COMPARTMENT STRUCTURES OF EXTRUDED ALUMINUM TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF HATCH-TYPE HOPPER AREAS, EACH OF THE STRUCTURES BEING A UNIT SHEET WITH PERPENDICULARLY PROJECTED STIFFENERS TO DEFINE THE SIDE SHEETING AND SIDEPOSTS, THE STRUCTURES BEING HELD TOGETHER BY WELDMENTS AND WHEREIN THERE IS ALSO PROVIDED EXTRUDED BOLSTER STRUCTURE AND DRAFT SILL CONSTRUCTION AT THE ENDS OF THE CAR CENTER SILL.

March 23 1971 K. P. COOVER ET AL 3,572,252

COVERED RAILWAY HOPPER CAR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 2,

FIG.

Illlli 1r. WE?

Inventors Kenneth P. Coover FIG. 3

William Van Der Sluys Herbert S. Wille By Arrorney March 23, 1971 K. P. COOVER ET A1, 3,572,252

COVERED RAILWAY HOPPER CAR Filed Jan. 2, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors Kenneth P. Coover Wilhom Van Der Sluys Herb TS(9W'l|e A orney March 23, 1971 COOVER ETAL 3,572,252

COVERED RAILWAY HOPPER CAR Filed Jan. 2, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 H682 I Hero 20a ZYb Inventors Kenneth F? Coover Wrllrom Von Der Sluys Herbert S. Wille Attorney March 1971 K. P. COOVER ETAL 3,572,252

COVERED RAILWAY HOPPER CAR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 2, 1968 Inventors Kenneth P. Coover By WW s y m S r 68 D H n V W S m .mm b m WH Attorney United States Patent O 3,572,252 COVERED RAILWAY HOPPER CAR Kenneth P. Coover, Highland, Ind., and William Van Der Sluys and Herbert S. Wille, Homewood, lll., assignors t Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, Ill.

Filed Jan. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 695,220 Int. Cl. B61d 17/08, 17/16', 7/02 US. Cl. 105-248 23 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of invention The field of the art to which the invention pertains is the construction of railroad freight cars from extruded metal components and finds particular use in hopper cars utilizing lightweight extruded components. The subject matter of the invention is directed in particular to this novel fabrication of the hopper car.

(2) Description of the prior art It has been heretofore known to use extruded components in the manufacture, fabrication and assembly of freight cars. Larger freight cars are being built today to accommodate greater lading loads and consequently it is desirable to reduce the weight of the car Whenever possible. Also it is desirable to reduce the cost of fabrication and to improve on the method of manufacture. The invention provides for increased freight car size while endeavoring to maintain the weight of the car fixed and yet to provide for a car that is easily and simply fabricated or built.

SUMMARY The invention has for its advantage, purpose and object the construction of an improved freight car provided with extruded metal siding and compartment and bolster construction and in particular provides for extrusion of sheeting of light-weight material such as aluminum wherein the sheet metal has a plurality of perpendicular reinforcement elements that stiffen or strengthen each sheet. Further, the invention is adapted to provide for welding of the various wall portions to provide for an easily constructed and simply fabricated freight car structure such as an extruded aluminum hopper car. Specifically, the side wall sheets are of extruded aluminum to define fiat areas with separate extruded T-shaped elements projecting perpendicularly from the flat portion. The combination of side sheet and stiffener extruded structures is used for the side walls, the roof, and the compartment walls and the bolster of the hopper car wherein the various extruded components or walls are held together by novel weldment means. A novel extruded draft sill construction is also provided. These and other objects will become apparent from reference to the following description, appended claims and attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel inventive hopper car;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial view illustrating interlocking of sections together;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a modified form of connecting hopper portions with the compartment sheet portion of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial view of a modified form of attachment of the compartment sheet and hopper portion;

FIG. 11 is a modification of the roof and side wall construction shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 1212 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 1313 of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the draft sill arrangement as shown in FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference now to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 3, there is shown a covered hopper railroad car 1 having a roof 2, car ends 3 and 4, and car sides 5 and 6. The car 1 is provided with a hopper underframe 7 carried on trucks 8, 8a movable over rail structure 8b. The roof of the car is provided with a longitudinally extending trough hatch 9 having a cover 10 thereover. Each side 5 or 6 is provided with a side sill structure 11 (as best seen in FIG. 6). The car 1 is provided with three hoppers each designated as 25. The underframe 7 comprises a center sill 13 which extends through each hopper 25 and is covered within each hopper 25 by a hood 12. Each end of the center sill 13 is provided a draft sill structure 15 carrying a coupler 16 and being disposed generally over each truck over which is disposed a bolster structure 17. Where two hoppers 25, 25 meet one another there is provided a partition support 14 which extends to and is supported by the center sill 13. The hopper car is provided with end slope floor sheets 21, 21 defining the outer end portions of each end hopper 25. Each of the hoppers 25 is further defined by a pair of hopper side sloping floor sheets 23. Each of the hoppers is provided with cross ridge slope sheets 22. The three hoppers are also defined by compartment partitions 24, 24 and each hopper is provided with an outlet or discharge gate 27 and each end of the car is provided with an end ladder 29 and an end sheet 30.

Each side 5 or 6 of the car 1 is defined by a plurality of integrated or welded-together side sheet structures 18 each having a side sheet portion 19 and a stiffener portion 20. As shown by FIG. 4 the enlarged end portions 31 and 32 of two adjacent side sheets 19, 19 are welded together and held thereby by weld W FIG. 5 shows a modified weldment form of sheet v18 where the ends 33', 34 of end flanges 31', 32 of the sheets are welded together by weld W and dovetailed to one another by overlapping portions 35' and 36' of the flanges 31' and 32'. Each side sheet construction 18 comprises a roof portion 18a, a side portion 18b, and a bend portion 18c, as seen in FIG. 6. A side plate reinforcement mem ber 36 may span to and between portions 18a and 18b to rigidify and add strength to the side wall construction of the car. Each stiffener 20 of the side sheet construction 18 comprises a flat sheet or web portion a and an elongated flange 20b perpendicular to the web portion 20a to define a T-shaped stiffener 20 to add strength to the roof and car side structure, as seen in FIG. 4. The side sheet portion 19 takes place of the siding or sheet of the side wall construction of the car and the stiffener portion 20 takes the place of the post construction or strengthening member. Each side sheet construction 18 is provided with a plurality of such sheet and stiffener portions that extend up the side and over onto the roof in a continuous fashion. The side 5 or 6 of the car further comprises a side sill top 37 of the side sill structure 11, a side sill curved portion 38 of the side sill structure 11 and a side sill lower end portion 39 of the side sill structure 11 which is held by weld 40 to the hopper side sheet 23, the partitions 24 being welded to the side sheets 18 by weldments W (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Each partition is composed of a flat sheet portion 24a and a perpendicular flange portion 24b having bulbous end portion 240, as seen in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows welding of the partition support 14 of partition 24 to the slope sheets 22 of each hopper 25, by means of a pair of angle plate reinforcement structures 43, 43 each plate 43 having plate portions 43a and 43b held by welds 44 to the slope sheet 22, the

partition sheet 24a and support 14 as seen in FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 illustrates a modified form of the partition attachment to the slope sheets 22, 22; whereby Y-shaped member 47 is held to end 24d of partition 24 by welds 48, the arms 47a and 47b of the structure 47 being attached by welds 48 toslope sheets 22, 22, the Y-shaped member 47 being held by triangularly shaped reinforcing underside member of plate 49. FIG. 10 shows a further modification of attachment of the partition 24 to the slope sheets wherein the end portion 24d of the partition 24 is held by welds 46, 46 to end portion a of Y- shaped member 45 having also portions 45b and 450 being connected by welds to respective slope sheets 22 (not shown) as in FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 shows a modified form of the side and roof sheet construction, as shown in FIG. 6, wherein the stiffeners are reduced in number and the hatch is widened. Further, it is noticed that the roof structure is a separate piece from the side structure and in particular there is shown a roof sheet structure 50 and a side sheet structure 51. The roof sheet structure is provided with sheet portion 50a, flange portion 50b with perpendicular T- flange portion 50c and has a U-shaped cap or end portion 50d Welded to the side wall structure 51 by welds 52. The side sheet structure 51 is similarly privided with flat sheet portion 51w, web portion 51b and T portion 510. The widened upright trough portion 9 is provided with a cover 10'.

FIG. 12 illustrates welding of the bolster 17 to the side sheets 18. It is noted that the bolster plate construc tion is similar to the partition compartment structure 24 and is provided with a flat sheet portion 17a and a flange portion 17b having a bulbous end portion 170. Corner post structures 41, 41 attach the side sheet structure 18, 18 to the bolster structure 17 as by welds 42.

The draft sill construction, as best seen in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14, is an extension of the center sill structure 13 at the ends thereof and each draft sill structure comprises draft gear structure 15 a coupling with coupler structure 16 and held within the draft sill structure 15 which is held between draft sill stops 15a and 15b provided with reinforcing rub structures 15c and 15d. The draft sill structure 15 comprises two Z-shaped extruded draft sill sections 15 and 15" held together and to the end of the car by welds W each draft sill section 15 or 15" being extruded to provide aforementioned parts 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d, best seen in FIG. 14.

Thus, what is provided is a simply constructed, easily fabricated aluminum extruded hopper car wherein the side wall and roof construction is a continuous extruded sheet and reinforcing stiffener arrangement welded with similarly constructed partitions and bolsters.

The foregoing description and drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, since those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A hopper vehicle comprising a pair of extruded side and roof sheet structures, said roof structure defining a longitudinally extending hatch trough, each structure comprising extruded sheet means having flat sheet portions and having extruded reinforcing stiffener means, said stiffener means comprising a plurality of elongated stiffener flange elements extending exteriorly of the vehicle generally perpendicularly outward from the sheet portions for reinforcement of the side and roof structures,

each stiffener flange element comprising a web portion outwardly extending from the sheet portions and having a load-reinforcing cross flange end portion to define a generally strengthened T-shaped flange element.

2. The invention according to claim 1, and

said side and roof structures being extruded from aluminum material.

3. The invention according to claim 1, and

each side and roof sheet means comprising a roof sheet part and a side sheet part that is integral and continuous with each roof sheet part and bent relative thereto, flange elements of each roof sheet and side sheet part extending upright and over the car, each flange element being spaced generally parallel and longitudinally of the other.

4. The invention according to claim 1, and

generally upright transverse compartment structure defining a plurality of hopper areas, each compartment structure comprising an extruded sheet member, said sheet member having a flat portion and a plurality of flange stiffener portions each extending outward from said flat portion.

5. The invention according to claim 4, and

each of said compartment flange portions comprising a generally vertically extending web means having a bulbous end part for strengthening of each compartment structure, each compartment flange portion being generally parallel to the other.

6. The invention according to claim 4, and

each compartment structure being welded to a side sheet part.

7. The invention according to claim 1, and

said hopper vehicle having hopper side slope sheet means and a side sill structure and a hopper bottom and gate structure, said sill structure being 'welded with the side sheet part and slope sheet means, and said slope sheet means being welded to said bottom and gate structure.

8. The invention according to claim 1, and

each side and roof sheet means comprising a plurality of sheets each extending longitudinally of one another and having their fiat portions welded to one another.

9. The invention according to claim 1, and

each side and roof sheet means comprising a plurality of sheets each extending longitudinally of one another and having the ends of their flat portions in overlapping relation to one another and the ends of their flanged elements welded to one another.

10. The invention according to claim 1, and

each side and roof sheet means comprising a side sheet part and a roof sheet part having a lower end portion attached to the side sheet part.

11. The invention according to claim 10, and

said end portion of the roof sheet part being welded to the side sheet part.

12. The invention according to claim 10, and

stiffener elements of the side sheet part being generally parallel to one another and extending longitudinally of the car.

13. The invention according to claim 10, and

the stiffener elements of the roof sheet part extending generally vertically of one another and being spaced longitudinally of one another.

14. The invention according to claim 10, and

stiffener elements of the side sheet part being generally parallel to one another and extending longitudinally of the car, and

the stiffener elements of the roof sheet part extending generally vertically of one another and being spaced longitudinally of one another.

15. The invention according to claim 1, and

each side and roof sheet means comprising a roof sheet part and a side sheet part, a plurality of compartment structures being attached to said side sheet part and having sloping floor sheets attached to each side of each compartment structure to define a plurality of hoppers.

16. The invention according to claim 15, and

attachment means for fixing each sloping floor sheet to its compartment structure comprising:

a pair of angle plate means each having, their free ends welded to the lower opposite face of the respective compartment structure and their respective apex portions Welded to the upepr end of a respective sloping floor sheet.

-17. The invention according to claim 15, and

said compartment structure and sloping floor sheets having re-inforcement means Welded together.

18. The invention according to claim 15, and

attachment means for fixing each sloping floor sheet to its compartment structure comprising:

a generally inverted Y-shaped structure having an upper leg attached to said compartment structure and each of two lower end legs attached to a respective sloping floor sheet.

19. The invention according to claim 18, and

the upper leg being notched to receive a lower end of the compartment structure.

20. The invention according to claim 18, and

generally triangular shaped re-inforcing plate means being attached in said Y-shaped structure and buttressing the lower legs for re-inforcement thereof.

21. The invention according to claim 18, and

the upper leg overlapping the lower end of the compartment structure in abutting relation.

22. The invention accordig to claim 1, and

bolster means being attached with the side part of roof and side sheet structure, said bolster means comprising extruded sheet means having flat sheet portions and having extruded re-inforcing stiffener means, said stiffener means comprising a plurality of elongated stiffener flange elements extending generally perpendicularly and vertically outward from the bolter sheet portions for re-inforcing the bolster.

23. The invention according to claim 22, and

each bolster stiffener element having a bulbous re-inforcing end. I

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,422,133 7/1922 Robider 248 1,533,862 4/1925 Hyle 105248 2,480,789 8/1949 Swanson 105409 2,730,964 1/1956 Garlock 105248 2,952,341 9/1960 Weiler l05--422X 3,127,851 4/1964 Auksel 105248 3,145,665 8/1964 Hamilton 105377 3,240,168 3/1966 Charles 105-406 3,253,556 5/1966 Glaser et a1 105247X ARTIHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

